


Spiraling Down

by RoseGardenTwilight



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-26 05:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13851345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseGardenTwilight/pseuds/RoseGardenTwilight
Summary: "That's your problem Hawk Moth," disappointment dripped from Le Paon's voice as her fingers barely touched the tip of her plumage in her hand. "You're thinking too…short term. To crush Ladybug, you must attack her heart, mind and her very soul." -When Le Paon takes charge, Chat Noir and Master Fu have to act quickly before Marinette's life sinks into a tailspin.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A.n.- I can't say how excited I am to write this story. It literally hit me out of nowhere and within two hours this chapter was written. I have a feeling I will love Le Paon in the series ( which we will get her in season two) For those of you who haven't researched her all we know is she will be an ally to Hawk Moth and compared to her HM will look like a nice villain. I wouldn't necessary suggest reading this if you haven't gotten caught up with season two, as I'll probably include some spoilers some places. I have no idea what Le Paon will be like in the series or what her powers will be ( I'm assuming my version of her will be darker than what the show's creators are going for considering it's intended audience) so I'm basing her character off guesses off theories I have read. The only thing about her that's cannon that I'll be using is her Kwami's name, ally to HM, and she's a darker villain ( all of which have been confirmed).

Prologue:

"You may have defeated me this time Ladybug and Chat Noir," his gloved hands gripped tightly in a clenched fist. The butterflies swirling above him in the air feeding off the energy in the room, "But the day will come where I will rise up and it will be you that is in for a surprise when I capture your Miraculouses. I will destroy you." It wasn't fair, he had gotten so close to winning and the second that Ladybug used her Lucky Charm he could feel everything starting to slip away with no ability to stop it. The power that he held over his victims seemed to be deteriorating with every use. But this wouldn't deter him from his mission, he would have Chat's ring and Ladybug's earrings and hold ultimate power within his grasp. It was the only way that he would see his love again.

"You could try boring them to death with your plans, maybe they would surrender just to stop you from talking." The words made the villain freeze on the spot, he didn't recognize the voice and yet someone had made it past his security into his haven. He turned to see a woman clothed in a royal blue dress draped across the one chair that occupied the room. The slit in the fabric inched higher with the position she was sitting in, but she didn't seem to mind. There was a dark blue color that seemed to cover the mysterious purple eyes that now glared at him. On top of her head rested a hat, dark blue and pink in color paired with a small veil masking part of her face. Although impressed of the design itself, Gabriel had more pressing matters.

"How did you get in here?" If it was one thing that he prided himself on was the length of security built into this place, he was sure that no one was sitting in the chair when he entered the room. That meant that she had to slip in when he was distracted with his fight with the heroes.

"Or maybe they would just use the time it took for you to explain everything to defeat you." She pondered out loud pressing her finger to the purple hue of her cheek ignoring his question. His rage grew, it wasn't enough that some woman was able to sneak into his lair, but to disrespect him was another matter; he didn't even accept that from his family, let alone a stranger.

"I won't ask again, how did you get in here?" Each word was pointed like it was daggers rolling off his tongue. Instead she just flipped through the book resting on her lap reading its contents. She was ignoring his questions on purpose trying to get under his skin, and it was working.

"You don't know who you are dealing with," He growled letting his rage stew. Didn't she know that he could call forth a person with an akuma to destroy her, or if it came to it he would be able to defeat her in a fight.

"I know exactly who you are." She answered not once looking up from the book, he caught sight of the superheroes printed on the page. That was the breaking point, she had been in his safe in his home. This was now personal. If she had laid one finger on Adrien's head, he swore she would die the most painful death that was possible.

"I've had enough of this, Code red." The walls suddenly burst open with various weapons pointing directly at her, but she didn't even flinch. He gritted his teeth, how someone from the outside was able to find his lair was beyond his comprehension, but after he took care of the pest, it would not be a mistake that would be repeated. The raven-haired woman got up from the chair that she was lounging in and began to walk towards him despite the fire power that could instantly kill her.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't end you right now." The low growl escaped his lips hands fully clenched, either she hadn't realized that her life laid in his hands or she dared to deny the fact; either way she leaned in her mouth hovering right outside his ear.

"Because I can give you what you desire." The words caused his body to freeze, a chill shot down his spine.

"How could you possibly know what I desired?" He scoffed. It was a game between the two, the one who held up their appearance would be the winner, a silent battle for dominance. The urge to shoot her dead decreased as his curiosity grew with every word that left her lips.

"To bring back your wife," a dark chuckle escaped her throat "it's such a noble pursuit, but you have no idea what those two miraculous are truly capable of." She returned to the bookshelves that lined the wall running her fingers against the spines nonchalantly.

"Who are you?" He demanded slamming his cane on the floor gaining her attention. The Cheshire grin grew as the purple eyes looked up innocently, he was rattled which only meant she gained the upper hand.

"You can call me Le Paon, but the question you should really be asking; what can I do for you?" A deafening silence rang through the room, so she took the opportunity to continue. "Are you tired of losing, doing the same thing every time only to be defeated?"

"What do you have in mind?" She shook her head clicking her tongue.

"Put away your toys," the emphasis on the last word didn't go unnoticed making him grit his teeth. "And we can sit down and have a talk." She draped herself once more in the chair that was at her disposal.

When the security system clicked back into place, her smirk spread. He towered over her figure, but it didn't daunt her, she seemed unfazed or even unimpressed by the man that stood before her.

"I've been watching you for a long time." A single feather was released from her fan that was resting on the table next to her, her fingers began running around the edge. "After a couple years of your constant failure I decided to offer my services." How could he not have felt a presence of another miraculous user, especially if she was keeping an eye on him.

"What's in it for you? No one does anything for free." The women kicked her legs off the arms of the chair and stood, her eyes never wavering from his.

"Don't worry that pretty little head of yours, I do have a tiny request, when the time comes I'll collect." She didn't say another word on the matter of how he would be indebted, causing hesitation. What did he even know about her, besides that she could sneak her way into his highly fortified fortress?

"What makes you so confident that you will defeat Ladybug in battle?" He crossed his arms defensively against his chest; anyone could talk visions of grandeur, but to accomplish such a task she needed to have a plan and so far, she hadn't suggested of having anything of the sort.

"That's your problem Hawk Moth," disappointment dripping from her voice as her fingers barely touched the tip of her plumage in her hand causing it to blacken. "You are thinking too…short term," her smile crept up further. "To crush the pesky bug, you must attack her heart, mind and her very soul. She will succumb to the darkness, just you wait." What she was offering seemed too good to be true, turning the light dark, surely not with the presence of a guardian and her partner in her life.

"What about Chat Noir? How do you propose we deal with him?" In all the battles that were fought, Chat had grown to be just as much of a problem as Ladybug with the way they communicated and worked together. Besides to grant him the wish he would need both miraculous.

"By the time the silly kitten realizes what's happening it will be too late. Once we take out Ladybug he will crumble to his own darkness."

"And how do you propose that this is accomplished?" She hadn't given him any detail to her plan, but the idea that he could take down the thorns that had been in his sides for the longest time was tempting. If he was unaware that Le Paon resided in Paris, it was safe to guess that the superhero duo was in the dark same as him.

"Just...leave that to me, by the time I'm done with her, Ladybug will be begging to give her miraculous to us."

"How do I know that you won't take the two miraculous, only to grant the wish for yourself?" He wasn't going to sweep the topic under the rug, it wasn't the first time that his victims thought they could take the ultimate power from him.

"You don't, but you can't win without me," the air around them was chilled by the tone of her voice, "I guess we'll just have to trust each other, now won't we?" She held out a hand her eyes glowing from the fire that raged inside her. "Do we have a deal?"

"On one condition, at no point harm will come to my son, I don't want him involved in this." Maybe it was the guilt that lived in the shadows within him, but he still loved the boy to some fatherly extent.

"Agreed."

The second he reached out and the two hands connected a colored energy burst from both their miraculous wrapping around their arms before joining right above the handshake. Hawk Moth's mouth fell slightly, he had never experienced or read anything about this kind of thing happening before.

"What's happening?" The purple and blue light disappeared as quickly as it came, and he started wondering if he had just imagined it all.

"Our agreement is now bonded, now if we both keep up our end of the arrangement then everything will be fine. I trust you, think of it as a safe guard." She brushed her hand over the peacock broach resting at her neck. Gabriel was almost worried to ask what would happen if it was broken, but instead he kept his mouth shut.

"What now?"

"Just go and release one of your precious butterflies, I'll take care of the rest." It seemed easy enough, he could already feel the dark energy of someone's anger rising through him. When the akuma had fluttered away through the window he turned back to where Le Paon was standing, she was gone. In return a single feather was left on the chair. He ignored the lurch of uneasiness in his stomach as he detransformed; why did it feel like he just made a deal with the Devil himself?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some cute Adrienette fluff before the angst

Chapter 2

"Marinette!" Maybe she was dreaming, it was a long day after the battle earlier. She was the one usually chasing the Adrien down, not the other way around. When she heard her name being called again, she stopped instantly recognizing that it was in fact the blonde model running after her.

"Hey, so I wanted to know if you were up for studying together this afternoon for the test Friday, I didn't really get the material that we went over today." If he told the truth, he missed half the day fighting crime, but in order for his Father not to ground him until he was of age, he had to keep his grades as high as possible. Sometimes being a superhero had its setbacks. He watched her face twitch slightly and he grew uneasy, did she not want to hang out with him? They were just going to study.  
"What about Nino? Did you ask him?" He tried to hide the disappointed features of his face. Had he done something wrong? He knew that she didn't hate him, but she seemed to clam up when he was around or tried to shove him off to a different friend.  
"He's"- Adrien stopped himself, technically his best friend sworn him to secrecy, but surely by now the plan was already in motion.  
"He wanted to surprise Alya for their anniversary, he had a special day planned." He would study a different day, but his schedule was filling up quickly with his Father's demands.  
Marinette let out a snicker, despite the look she received she didn't have the heart to tell him that their anniversary wasn't till next month. Her best friend would still appreciate the early gesture.

"So," He took a step closer to her invading the edge of her bubble. "What do you say?" He didn't remember the last time they had hung out alone, he wanted to reassure her that he still thought they were friends.

"Yes!" Although it was the answer he wanted to hear, he still heard the reluctance in her voice.

"Are you sure?" He never wanted to force her into anything she wasn't comfortable in. With still not being sure where he stood with her, he wanted to tread lightly and give her an out if she wanted it.

"It's no trouble at all!" She waved her hands trying to regain control over the situation, preferably without making more of a fool of herself. The subjects to cover for the test were easy enough, she was fairly confident in her ability to explain it. However, since she spent the afternoon stopping Hawk Moth she had no idea what they covered in class, she was intending on asking Alya for her notes. But she wasn't about to tell him that. His hand flew to the back of his neck rubbing it in a nervous fashion.  
"Do you want to walk, or we could ride there in the car..." His voice trailed off waiting on her cue. Marinette was trying to stay calm, but she was sure she resembled a fish gasping for water.  
"C-car would be good." She still kicked herself for turning him down during operation Secret Garden. He flashed one of his dazzling smiles and gave her a wink.  
"Alright, I'll call Gorilla and tell him the change in plans." The raven-haired girl swore that she had no feelings in her legs as he walked away placing the cell phone against his ear. Surprisingly, their interaction went well, but unfortunately for her; she had hours ahead to get tongue tied. Adrien flashed her a thumbs-up which she returned weakly. What did she get herself into?

Marinette didn't feel one thread of guilt abandoning Adrien at the mercy of her parents' downstairs, she was counting on the distraction to take down all the pictures of the blonde that were scattered across her walls with Tikki's help. It wasn't every day that the super model came to her room, she formulated the excuse that it was Agreste fashion line that she was interested in. After all his Father had used his son for enough of the photo shoots. But she knew herself well enough to know that her calculated words would just leave her lips and end up a jumbled pile on the floor, when it came to him; she would always be a mess. It was nice to live in a day dream when he wasn't around, but if he ever found the pictures she didn't know how that would change their friendship. Tikki stopped that thought train before it crashed and burned in her mind. She had to stop always assuming the worst, Adrien was one of the kindest people she knew; he wouldn't break their friendship off for something so silly.

Tikki quickly fled the second the hatch moved. "Hey, sorry about that. Your parents were wanting my opinion on a couple different pastries."

"I'm sorry they tortured you like that," the dry line cracking a smile on both faces. She eyed the plate of chocolate croissants in his hand as he climbed fully into her room and he let out a sheepish smile and mumbled something about needing energy for studying. She dropped the subject her mind already worried about how she would be able to tutor him in something that she wasn't there to learn in class, but it couldn't be that hard right?

"I feel my brain melting," Adrien groaned dropping the closed text book to the side. They had been going over the study material for an hour and a half and it was discouraging to know that he knew less now than when he started. He started to regret daydreaming of his favorite superhero in class, maybe if he was paying more attention he wouldn't be in trouble now.

"Maybe we should take a break," Marinette agreed. It was better to take little breaks between sessions, but she would be fine with not touching her textbook for the rest of the day. She would have to ask Alya to explain the lesson tomorrow before school otherwise it might affect her test score as well.

It didn't take a minute for the blonde to reach for the croissant his eyes sparkling, he quit halfway to consumption eyeing his friend. "Don't tell my Father." As much as it was part of a joke he was also halfway serious. His Dad would just give him a stern look and then lecture him to preserve his career, and that would require staying as far away from the carbs as possible.

Marinette's laugh filled the room while she crossed her hand above her chest. "I'll take it to the grave."

"I bet that Nino and Alya are out having fun." His textbook was currently tied with his disdain for Hawk Moth, and that was saying something.

"Unless she left him to try and catch a glimpse of Paris's favorite Superhero duo." Marinette used her hands to emphasize their title almost like a movie. She wouldn't put it past her best friend. If Nino was second to someone, it would be her alter ego.

Adrien readjusted his gaze, he didn't mean to stare at her, he just got caught up in another daydream. "There's only one way to find out," he stood up and quickly covered the short distance to her computer before Mari had a chance to protest. He wiggled the mouse pulling the computer out of hibernation. His mouth dropped for a second at the sight of the screen before his whole face lit up.

"I didn't know you followed the Ladyblog."

As soon as the statement left him he wanted to face palm himself. Of course she kept an eye on it, it was Alya's blog. Part of him was hoping that Mari would monitor it as closely as he did. With her help he was sure that he could figure out Ladybug's identity, and by doing so would also re-secure the bond that they had as friends.

"I keep tabs on it," her words drew him back to her. It was the easiest way to see how close her best friend was to finding her out, and the comments she saw on the blog only confirmed that the people of Paris were thankful for them.

"Have you worked with Chat Noir recently?" Every now and then he would name slip around people, just to make sure he knew where they stood with his secret identity. He watched the girl in front of him tense.

"Um yeah, he winds up on my rooftop sometimes," she tried to reply as nonchalantly as possible; maybe he wouldn't make a big deal out of it. She watched as one eyebrow rose, urging her to share more.

"There was this one time, he came to me after he set up something for Ladybug," she hesitated. Mari didn't know if any of this was confidential, but she felt oddly relaxed telling him. "She didn't show up and he saw that I was upset so he wanted to cheer me up."

Adrien knew there was more to the story, because he lived it. But he did fine it interesting that she didn't bring up the guy that broke her heart. He didn't know who he was, but when he figured it out he would get a piece of his mind. The subject was dropped for the moment with full intent to gain more information using Chat, she seemed to be more open to him.

It wasn't until then that he noticed all the drawings scattered across the desk. He picked up one only to see the paper that was hidden underneath.

"You're applying for my Father's internship?" He wasn't fully knowledgeable about all the ins and outs of the program, but it was a summer term in which a student would work under him and supposedly learn the business. If he liked their designs enough, he would put it in the line-up for the next fashion show.

Marinette shyly nodded, she had hoped that it could have been a surprise, if she won that meant that she could spend a significant amount of time with him, but if she didn't then he wouldn't get his hopes up.

"You know, I can talk to my"-

"No!" she blurted out a little too quickly. She was sure that Mr. Agreste already had some preconceived notions about her, the last thing she wanted was for him to think that she used his son to get to him. "I mean, no thank you. I want to earn it."

"Well if it means anything, I hope you win." Her cheeks grew to a shade of red that would match her Ladybug outfit, she needed to think of something, and fast.

"Want to play some video games?" She hoped that the change of subject would distract the boy in front of her, and it worked like a charm; he was a kid in a candy store. She needed a distraction anyway, between the pressure of the upcoming tests and the stress for perfecting her application for the internship she was already dealing with some anxiety. She almost wished that being a super hero was a full-time job.

He nodded eagerly despite knowing that he should be studying, but what could a couple games hurt? If he was to learn anymore today; he would have to participate in something mindless for a bit.

"The controllers are in the drawer on the left," she called out only to realize that she saw Tikki that way earlier with a small pile of her Adrien pictures.

"What's this?" She never knew her legs could move so fast, she ripped what pictures he did have in his hand threw them in their proper place.

"Nothing," she slammed the drawer with her hip hoping that he wouldn't press the matter more. She would need to have a talk with Tikki after he left about where the safe spots to hide the pictures were. She watched the conflict being torn across his face, she needed to act quickly.

As confidently as she could muster, she held out the controller to the Blonde, "Ready to get killed at Mega Strike 3 Agreste?" For some reason it was easier calling him by his last name in her taunts, it made the dialogue less personal and she was less likely to stutter.

"I'm not scared of you Marinette." His own eyes narrowed taking it straight from her hand. Unbeknownst to her, he had spent time practicing waiting for the time that they would get a rematch; this time she would be in for a surprise.

Her smirk grew as she sat down in the chair backwards facing him, "You should be." The topic of video games was one of the few that she had a leg up on the model, it gave her confidence, not to mention the couple of times she caught him gawking at her almost made her feel as invincible as Ladybug.

"Game on," he shot back. The air of friendly competition had engulfed the two, as he took his seat next to her. She reached for the remote and clicked on the television. Her hand froze before she could set up the game completely captured by the news that was scrolling across the screen. Not now, didn't Hawk Moth have a life outside of trying to terrorize Paris? She glanced over at Adrien but couldn't read his expression. Was it wrong that she was disappointed?

"You should go home where you'll be safe." The words stuck to her throat, she couldn't even bring herself to glance back at him and glared at the floor. If she didn't have to transform into Ladybug and go fight the akuma then he could have used her room to hide, but something told her that he wouldn't allow her to run out straight into danger, not as Marinette. He was too much of a gentleman for that. For a brief second, she entertained the thought of letting Chat take the lead and she would show up later, but the guilt sunk in, she couldn't be that selfish; he needed her. This was just part of the consequences that came with being a super hero and having to keep her identity a secret. A small part of her wished she would have known the weight of what she was agreeing to before, keeping this secret was tiring and she was running out of excuses.

"I'll take the back-way home, rain check on the match?" he asked trying to stay optimistic, however; the light mood had faded out of the room only to be reclaimed by a somber one. Although he was having fun with Mari, he knew that his Lady needed him, especially since this was the second attack of the day. "I'll be safe," he added for extra measure sensing her concern; although she would need it more than he would. He was a superhero after all. "I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will save the day as usual," In a blink of an eye he slipped out of her room.

Marinette let her fake reassuring smile falter, although grateful that he didn't put up much of a fight making her job easier, she did worry for him. What if something attacked and she wasn't around to save him?

"What's wrong Marinette?" Tikki buzzed out of her hiding spot, she knew that if her holder wasn't in the right mindset it would throw her off in battle, but they were still on a time crunch.

"We were having a great time," she let out a tired sigh. "Then the akuma ruined everything."

"But Adrien did say he would come over another time." Tikki thought that Marinette did well for her interaction with the boy, so why was she getting so upset?

"It's just sometimes," she paused for a moment, she already knew how her kwami felt about this subject but that didn't detract from her moments of weakness. "I wish I could tell him, things would be so much easier"-

"Marinette, you know you can't." Tikki didn't mean to be short with her, but she needed to snap her out of whatever funk she was in. Her words seem to work as the raven-haired girl's eyes narrowed.

"You're right, Paris needs me. Tikki, spots on." The red kwami obliged melding into the earrings as the red light engulfed her leaving only her super hero alter ego. She rushed to the roof, the smoke from some of the damage was rising pinpointing her destination. A smirk grew on her lips, Adrien was right about one thing, Alya would have put her date with Nino on hold if she heard about the attack. She jumped off her roof headed west, not looking behind her. If she had, she might have seen a green light flicker ever so slightly coming from the alleyway next to the Dupain-Cheng's bakery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy it! Let me know how you liked it! The next chapter of Satisfied should be up by the weekend.


End file.
